On Destiny's Wings
by Shakalakaboomboom
Summary: 5000 years ago when Pharaohs ruled the ancient lands and magic was a common sight, Guardians were assigned to protect and serve their King alongside those who bore the Millennium Items. Now only one remains, waiting for the Pharaoh's return. To what lengths will she be willing to go to defend the King she cannot remember, but the one man she needs the most? Yami/OC/Atem
1. Prologue

**On Destiny's Wings**

**by Shakalakaboomboom**

_May the wind always be at your back and the sun upon your face.  
>And may the wings of destiny carry you aloft to dance with the stars.<em>

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Yu Gi Oh**

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 1: Prologue<strong>

Time is a strange thing. Many people are given too little time in this world, while others are given too much. But one thing is for certain with every single life; it will always come to an end eventually. The story will conclude and the book will firmly shut with no more chapters to be written.

The same cannot be said for me, however. I am the one exception to the rule.

I have lived 85 lives upon this earth, searching for the answers as to why my soul has never been laid to rest. For 5000 years I have lived and died as many different people in many different civilisations. An example that comes to me straight away, is my life as the daughter of Justinian I of the Byzantine Empire in the sixth century. I remember clearly how my father of that life contracted what was later to be known as bubonic plague, but miraculously survived due to vast sums of gold that was spent on healers from across the empire. Others within Byzantium who suffered with the same disease were not so lucky; nigh on ten million people within the East Roman Empire died during my life there alone.

during that time, I was known as Theodora of Byzantium, named after my mother who had died in childbirth. My father had grieved for my mother endlessly as I grew, my presence only further reminding him that Empress Theodora had passed into the afterlife. However, that did not detract him from showering me with love and spoils. He gifted me frequently with riches and treasures beyond imagining; from the finest horses to the most expensive gowns. My time as Theodora is not one that I will readily forget.

Nowadays, history books state that my Byzantine mother had died of possibly an ancient form of today's cancer, while I am not mentioned at all. There has never been any mention of haemorrhage during childbirth, which was my mother's true cause of death. My presence as Theodora of Byzantium was never recorded in history; it was as if I had never truly existed at all. Sadly, as the 5000 years have slowly progressed and historical events have been more readily recorded, my presence has still been left unmentioned. I have spent many hours of my endless existence thinking over this rather troublesome fact, deciding upon as many possible reasons as to why I have been excluded from Earth's history. Even my time as Evelyn Victoria Caroline, tenth child to Queen Victoria, Empress of India and monarch of the British Empire, has been forgotten.

By now you may well be asking the same questions that have troubled me for millennia: Why? Why is it than my lives have been forgotten so readily? I cannot answer you, dear reader, not so early in my tale. My path is yet to twist and turn on many of the roads that fate commands us down, and I am sure that you will be there beside me every step of the way.

Over my past 85 lives and now into my 86th, there has only been two things constant between one life and the next; my appearance and my disability. In every life, I would be roughly 5'5" with long, slightly waved platinum blonde hair that was streaked with ice blue highlights and tipped with an ombre of a deep, ocean blue. My build was always slight and athletic, while my eyes were consistently a piercing sapphire blue. My personality never changed either, why should it? I was the same old, lost and forgotten soul reborn once again in a new body. A new body that housed the disability that has has haunted me for 5 millennia.

To make a lengthy explanation of my disability short, I am weak. Very, very weak. I have always suffered with shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, alongside an incapability of doing as much physical activity as a two year old child. In every life it was the same; princess or pauper, my body would be useless, confining me to my bed for days on end during the summer months as the heat caused me to weaken further. I would then have a few short months of being able to meander slowly through the gardens, before being confined to my bed once again as the winter months brought illnesses that would crippled my weakened self further.

In some lives I was unfortunate enough to be murdered by those who were my 'family' at the time. I could not help with harvest or provide money through work; I was a liability and an expense, so why on earth would they want to keep me alive anyway? In other lives I was much luckier: when I was Evie, youngest daughter of Queen Victoria, my mother built me my own small chalet at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, where my dearest sisters Kitty and Beatrice would care for me and play with me day-in day-out.

So now you know nearly all there is to know about me for my tale to begin. Only a few things remain to be told before I recount the events of my 86th and final life. The last thing that remains is the memories that has nearly driven me to breaking point over the years. I have always been able to remember the details of all my past lives. Each time I was born anew I would be aware that the cycle was starting once again. As I grew older my memories of previous lives would return more and more, until I would remember them all by the time I was 20. However. There is one thing that I cannot remember. Possibly the one reason why I have been cursed to live life after life after life.

My first life.

If you asked me details of my first life, then there is only one thing that I would be able to tell you:

Egypt.

My first life, the land where I was truly born, was Egypt. How do I know this? I dream of Egypt every single night. From pyramids and gods to magicians and pharaohs, I have been taken all across Egypt in my sleep. When I wake, I know of what I have dreamt but never seem to be able to truly remember. However, there has always been one consistent feature of my dreams that I remember, haunting me every night; a solitary, dark figure whose only distinguishing feature is a pair of defiant, crimson eyes. Every time I find myself caught in his gaze, words whisper to me through the shadows of the landscape. _Protect. Serve. Guard. _This man from my past, whoever he is, must have been of great importance to me. The words that ring through my head every night carry through to the day, reminding me constantly that there is much that I have done that still eludes me and driving me further into finding the answers I seek.

Ask me any more about my life in Egypt and I won't be able to tell you. I am sorry, truly I am, but the memories have evaded me for 5000 years. I have tried to find the answers to my plight for as long as I have lived, but to no avail.

So here we are now at what can only really be described as the beginning of the end of my existence. But do not interpret this in the wrong way, as here we are in my 86th life at the point where I truly start _living _once again. For 85 lifetimes I have been but a shadow of the person I could be, but now where my tale begins is where I rediscover the meaning of my life and all the complications it entails.

So, dear reader, if there are only a few things that you remember from all this, then please let them be thus:

Firstly, my origins lie within Ancient Egypt.

Secondly, I have lived 85 lives over 5000 years searching for impossible answers.

And finally, history may have forgotten me in the past, but I will do my all that I can in this, my 86th life, to make damn sure I'll be remembered for eternity to come.

My name is Zahira Victoria Kaiba, and this is my story.

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><p><strong>Well hello there! Nice to meet you! My name is Shakalakaboomboom and this prologue is a complete test to see how well my story may go down. I hope that this may have given you a taste for what's to come, so please leave a reviewfollow/favourite if you have any comments or wish for me to continue writing this story! **

**I hope to hear from you!**

**-Shakalakaboomboom x**


	2. Welcome to Domino High School

**Chapter 2: Welcome to Domino High School**

"Remind me why I'm doing this again."

"Because you were determined to win an argument over your brother." Roland answered from the driver's seat of the black sedan as he directed the car to a stop by the pavement one block from Domino High School.

"Right." Zahira answered unenthusiastically, twisting the straps of her backpack nervously between her fingers.

For many months Zahira had argued with my older brother Seto, convincing him that she was completely and utterly fed up with home schooling. Seto had argued that given her conditions, it would be unwise for her to attend a public school. Zahira grumbled to herself as Roland climbed from the car and moved round to open the door for her. She pulled my backpack on slowly, fastening the straps tightly around her waist to ensure that it did not move. Next, She checked the oxygen tubes that ran from her backpack and up the back of her neck to twist around to her nostrils. Oxygen therapy had proven to be one of the few treatments of her 'problems' that was successful. No matter how many doctors Seto had paid to examine Zahira, none had ever been able to pinpoint an actual cause to her weakness. To be honest, she was not surprised by this. People had been trying to cure her for hundreds of years, but all of them failed. Even with the advancements in today's technology, no answers could be found.

"Come now Miss Kaiba, you would not wish to be late." Roland said patiently from the door, watching Zahira as her fingers trailed over the oxygen tubing.

Zahira heaved one final sigh before pushing herself hesitantly from the car, clutching her satchel tightly by the strap. Roland smiled as she stood tall on the pavement, shouldering her satchel so it rested at her hip while gently wiping a few stray strands of hair from her sharp, sapphire eyes.

"I shall meet you here at four o'clock sharp." Roland said as he closed the door, bowing slightly.

"Thank you Roland, I appreciate this." Zahira said quietly as she examined my surroundings with interest. Ii was possible to hear the sounds of the school from one block away, and Zahira was eager to be off.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you to the gate?" Roland asked hesitantly, repeating himself for possibly the tenth time in that single car journey.

"No thank you, I can make my own way from here." _I don't want the car to attract attention. _

Zahira began to walk away from the car towards the school, aware of the fact that Roland still hesitated behind her. She simply hated the idea of arriving outside the school in a chauffeur-driven car and attracting far too much attention than what she wanted. No, arriving at school on foot like a normal sixteen year old would do just fine.

The sound of an engine starting from far behind Zahira confirmed the fact that Roland had given in and was beginning the journey back to Kaiba Corp. The only thing worse than being the new kid in school, was being the new kid with the surname 'Kaiba'. In Zahira's opinion, it acted as an instant label.

As Zahira became lost in her thoughts, the gates of the school slowly began to approach. Crowds of kids of all ages were  
>filtering around the courtyard beyond, with the impressive buildings of Domino High School ominously shadowing over<br>all. She paused at the gate for a moment to recover her breath from the walk, grateful for the oxygen that flowed  
>readily into her system through the oxygen tubing.<p>

_Come on Zahira, you've been to loads of schools in previous lives. This one is no different._

With that final mental encouragement, Zahira began to march across the courtyard with as much strength as she could muster. She passed small groups of friends as they chatted amongst themselves, eager to finish their conversations quickly before the morning bell rang at 8:45am. Ignoring any curious glances that were cast in her direction, She climbed the steps towards the front doors of the school. The old, heavy oak of the doors rubbed gently against her fingers as Zahira leaned into the door, pushing it open and gaining her first look at the interior of the building. A bright, long corridor lined with navy lockers led directly from the front doors towards a large central atrium.

Students littered the hallway, leaning against lockers or walking to classrooms, so Zahira began to slowly weave her way through them in the general direction of the atrium. A few students noticed the oxygen tubing that rested across her face as she passed them, watching her with interest as she made my way through the throng. Zahira cast the signature 'Kaiba glare' to a student who pointed out the tubing to one of his friends, which effectively silenced the words that were about to fall from his mouth.

As Zahira emerged into the atrium of the school, the crowd of students seemed to lessen rapidly as the open space stretched before her. Corridors branched off in all directions and a staircase curved its way up to a second level. However, her attention was caught by the large reception office that was spread before her across the atrium.

In a few short steps Zahira had made her way across the hall and stood at the reception desk, waiting patiently for the lady seated before her as she sorted the papers in her hands.

"How may I help you?" The lady asked in a gentle tone, keeping her eyes on the paperwork before her.

"I've just enrolled here." Zahira replied, causing the receptionist to raise her head in interest as she continued. "It's my first day and I was told to come here to collect my timetable."

"Oh!" The receptionist said enthusiastically, jumping from her seat and retreating to a small file situated further within the office. "Welcome to Domino High School! What's your name dear?"

"Zahira Kaiba." Zahira replied steadily as the receptionist filtered through the file, noticing that her eyebrows rose slightly at the mention of her name.

"Ah ha!" The receptionist said to herself as she pulled a group of papers from the file with Z. V. KAIBA written boldly across the top. The receptionist handed the papers to Zahira and pointed to each one individually. "This is your timetable for the remainder of the academic year, along with a list of all your subject teachers and a map of the school. This sheet shows you all the scheduled dates and holidays that are scattered throughout the year, along with the structure of a normal day."

"Thank you very much." Zahira said as she eyed over the sheets of paper now clustering her hands. The timetable showed all the subjects that she had chosen to study, alongside the rooms in which the lessons were to be taught. Zahira glanced from the timetable to the map, trying to distinguish not only which rooms she needed to find, but where she would find her form room.

"I'll have a student show you to your form room." The receptionist said as she watched Zahira glancing over the papers in her hands. "It must be rather unnerving joining a new school midway through the year. Oh! Tea! Come here please!"

Zahira raised her eyes from the timetable in her hands to see the receptionist beckoning to a girl of her own age with short brown hair and bright, friendly eyes. The girl raised her eyes from the book she was holding over towards the receptionist curiously, before pushing herself from the wall and walking towards them. A look of curious confusion crossed her features as she looked at Zahira.

"Can I help you Mrs Lee?" The girl - Tea - asked as she reached the desk, smiling nervously in Zahira's direction. Zahira herself returned the smile with one of her own, hoping beyond hope that she was in more of her classes rather than just her form.

"Tea, dear, this here is Miss Kai-"

"Zahira." Zahira said quickly, interrupting the receptionist before she revealed her surname to Tea. She did not wish to scare the girl away with her family's reputation before she even knew her.

The receptionist paused her words for a moment to glance at Zahira curiously, before she continued speaking to Tea.

"Yes. It's Zahira's first day here today, and I was hoping that you would be able to show her to your form room?"

"No problem!" Tea said happily, turning to smiling at Zahira and holding her hand out in greeting. "I'm Tea Gardner. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Zahira replied, steadily shaking Tea's hand before the brunette began to move away from the reception desk, beckoning for Zahira to follow.

"So what made you move to Domino High so late in the year?" Tea asked as she led Zahira across the atrium towards one of the ground floor corridors that was once again filled with lockers and students.

"I've been homeschooled all my life due to... this." Zahira said, gesturing towards the oxygen tubing. "But I got fed up of being kept at home all day. I've been wanting to enroll as a student for months."

"Well it must be nice for you to finally be here." Tea said with a small smile. "I hope life as a high school student lives up to what you hope it will be."

Zahira nodded in agreement, before nervously pulling at the heinous pink blazer that was part of the girls' uniform. Tea smiled amusingly as the observed her uncomfortable face, before glancing down at her own matching uniform.

"Not the greatest uniform in the world, is it?" She asked, pointing at her blazer and skirt. "It seems terrible to begin with, but over time you get used to it."

"I sure hope so." Zahira muttered quietly, conscious of the fact that the skirt was rather short.

After a few more minutes of walking down corridors that Zahira was certain to forget almost instantly, Tea led her towards a door with a large '11G' printed onto the glass. She pushed gently to open the door and led Zahira into a bustling classroom that was filled with around thirty students. The majority of them glanced up to watch Zahira with distinct curiosity, but she turned a blind eye to it as she followed Tea to the back corner of the classroom.

There, sitting along with a few small pieces of a golden puzzle resting in his lap, was a small boy with large, violet eyes and tri coloured hair that covered his head thickly. His blonde fringe covered the majority of his face as he concentrated on the pieces in his lap. The main body of his hair was a dark mahogany-black that was tipped with crimson.

As Tea and Zahira approached, he raised his eyes from his lap to smile in greeting. His eyes brightened as he waved slightly to Tea before his eyes settled on the stranger. Zahira smiled brightly to return his own, but could not shake the feeling of familiarity from herself. It was as if she had seen him before in another life and another time. His eyes though... His eyes were not the crimson that haunted her dreams almost every night.

"Yugi, this is Zahira." Tea introduced as the two of them came to a halt beside the desk. She stepped aside slightly to give Zahira room as the boy - Yugi - watched her curiously with his bright, inquisitive eyes.

"Zahira, I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Yugi Muto."

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><p><strong>Well here we are at the end of chapter 2! As I mentioned at the end of the prologue, if you have any comments then please leave a review. I understand that this story is in its very early stages, but it would be incredibly helpful for you to leave a comment if any of you believe I am making the characters either too OOC or if there is something about Zahira that you do not like.<strong>

**Also, in case you're wondering, I'm English, so a lot of my spelling and school timetables etc will be based on what I've had as personal experience, as I don't really want to have a go at writing the American way and cock it up dramatically...!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Shakalakaboomboom x**


	3. So You're a Kaiba

**Hello! **

**I thought best to write here now. Basically, I don't know any of the events of Season 0 except how Joey and Yugi became friends (the part that appeared briefly in the anime). What I'm planning on doing is getting to duelist kingdom as soon as I can, so please bear with me if some of the things I write don't correlate with season 0 :)**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 3: So You're a Kaiba?<span>**

Zahira sat contentedly with Yugi and Tea during form time as the pair of them meticulously examined her timetable, deciding whether she shared any of her classes with either of them. Surprisingly the majority of Zahira's classes were with Yugi, however she shared Art and Music with Tea and all three of them were in English Literature together. Yugi and Zahira shared Maths, Further Maths, Triple Science and History.

"So you decided to study Further Maths?" Yugi asked Zahira, looking up from her timetable with an interested look in his eyes. "What made you decide that?"

"I don't really know." Zahira replied truthfully, smiling slightly when a look of confusion flashed across Yugi's face. "I've always found maths interesting, so I was advised to take the extra subject."

"You're mad!" Tea declared with a bright smile directed at the two teens sitting before her. "What drove the two of you to take such a subject I will never understand."

"It's no matter." Zahira replied with a laugh, winking at Yugi before continuing. "We all choose to study the subjects we love; it's not up to other people to choose our subjects for us. Where's the fun in that?"

"Tea you know that I decided on further maths because I love puzzles!" Yugi said with a slightly scolding tone, although his eyes betrayed that the two friends had shared this conversation before.

"Puzzles?" Zahira asked curiously, wondering whether he meant the jigsaw type.

"Oh, you know..." Yugi said, his eyes looking into the distance for a moment. "Puzzles, games, riddles. Things that get your mind turning. I see maths problems as one big riddle to solve, and I enjoy the satisfied feeling when you finish them."

"Yugi's grandpa owns a game shop," Tea revealed, "hence Yugi loves games. God knows how many you have in the shop, Yugi!"

At that moment the bell rang out, startling Zahira as her eyes moved swiftly to the clock that read 8:55am.

"Time to get to class!" Yugi announced, jumping up eagerly from his seat and reaching for his rucksack. Tea and Zahira followed suit quickly and the three of them moved quickly from the form room into the bustling corridor beyond.

"I have Geography in the East Tower." Tea said as the trio walked together. "I'll have to leave the two of you in a moment to go the right way."

"That's okay." Yugi and Zahira chorused together, blushing slightly at the coincidence of them both saying the same thing at the same time.

"I'll show Zahira to class," Yugi said, smiling up at Tea, "we both have Further Maths anyway."

Tea nodded, smiling as she did so. They walked together for a few more moments before she waved her hand in farewell and walked towards a stairway. Yugi and Zahira continued on down the corridor, being carried by the current of the students.

"Thanks so much for looking after me, Yugi." Zahira said gratefully, all too aware that the two of them had known each other for a grand total of ten minutes.

"That's okay, Zahira!" Yugi replied with what appeared to be a genuinely friendly smile. It astounded her really that a person with such a kind and open heart such as Yugi's could exist. Zahira had met some truly terrible people during her lifetimes, but never had she met a person's who held their heart on their sleeve and their emotions in their eyes as much as Yugi did.

"I am curious though..." Zahira said quietly, glancing sideways to see Yugi watching her expectantly. "You haven't asked about the tubing yet."

For the weeks leading up to the start of school, Zahira had been nervously expecting people to openly come up to her and ask why she had the oxygen tubing. It came as a bit of a shock when Tea and Yugi seemed to brush it off completely and treat her like any other normal teenager. Mixed feelings of happiness and hope began to swirl in Zahira's stomach as she thought over the possibility of the two of them eventually becoming friends.

"I saw no reason to ask." Yugi replied after a moment of thought. "If you did not wish to talk about the tubing, but I asked anyway, then it would have been rude. In my opinion, it is better to wait until someone is ready to confide in you before you go storming in asking questions."

"I really appreciate it, thank you Yugi." Zahira said sincerely as they continued walking down the corridor. "I would honestly tell you what is wrong with me, but to be honest even I don't really know. My body is a whole mixture of problems that basically lead to me being weak. It kind of sucks, to be honest."

"I can imagine." Yugi said, looking up at her with his wide, violet eyes. "Have you ever played any sports?"

"Nope!" Zahira replied nonchalantly skipping her stride slightly to avoid some spilled water on the floor. "I've never played sport. If I did then I'd probably run about ten metres before collapsing on the ground in exhaustion. It's okay though, as I keep myself occupied with other things."

"What other things?" Yugi asked, walking behind Zahira slightly as the two of them avoided a group of friends leaning against a section of the lockers and partially blocking the corridor.

"Well... I don't know..." Zahira muttered half to Yugi, half to herself, all the while going over her pastimes in her head. "I read, write, design, and - like you - do a lot of puzzles and games."

"Oh really?" Yugi asked happily, a broad smile spreading across his small features. The pair instantly began discussing all the different games and puzzles each of them had completed over the years, comparing their opinions and thoughts on each one.

When they arrived at the Maths room, Yugi beckoned Zahira to follow as he began to walk towards a few empty desks at the back of the classroom. Zahira made her way to walk behind him, but was quickly stopped but a gentle but firm hand on her arm.

"Are you the new girl?"

Zahira turned around to face who she assumed was the Further Maths teacher, Mr Brisbane, who was looking down at her with a questioning gaze.

"I am indeed." She confirmed, aware that Yugi had reached his seat and was now watching her exchange with the teacher.

"Well if you wait up here for a moment, then I can introduce you to the class." Mr Brisbane said, releasing Zahira's arm and moving to stand behind his desk as yet more students filed into the classroom.

Zahira shuffled her feet nervously for a moment as everyone began to take their seats, hopelessly aware of the weight of her oxygen backpack resting between her shoulders blades. Eventually the quiet buzz of conversation lessened in the room as thirty pairs of eyes faced the front of the classroom where Zahira was standing. Nerves twisted in her gut, and she had to hold herself together stop the involuntary shiver that nearly rippled its way through her entire body. Mr Brisbane organised the last few sheets of paper on his desk, before glancing down at the register and then to Zahira.

"Class, today we have a new student joining us." He said, removing his glasses from his breast pocket and polishing them on his shirt. "I hope that you will make her feel welcome here. May I introduce to you Zahira Kaiba."

Uh oh.

The bomb was dropped.

_God dammit!_

Zahira didn't honestly know why she felt so frustrated over the fact that Mr Brisbane had revealed that dhr was a Kaiba. Everyone was going to find out sooner rather than later, but she would have preferred to maintain the facade of 'average teenage girl' - however average she may be - for a short while longer.

Eyes widened and a few whispers rippled through the classroom as Zahira nodded respectfully to the teacher before moving between the desk and hurrying towards where Yugi sat at the back of the classroom. It wounded her slightly to see an equally shocked expression on his face as she hastily took her seat beside him, burying her head within her satchel in order to hide the deep shade of crimson that was growing quickly across her cheeks.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were a Kaiba?" Yugi whispered to Zahira as Mr Brisbane began his lecture at the front of the room.

"You never asked." Zahira replied quickly, pulling her folder and pencil case from within the satchel as she turned to look at him. "To be honest, I don't see how me being a Kaiba should affect the way you, or anybody else for that matter, treat me. I'm still just me. The plain, socially inept, weak me."

"It's just..." Yugi said weakly, before trailing off. The two of them remained silent for a moment as Yugi seemed to collect his thoughts, before he whispered to Zahira once again. "You're right, and I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to judge you as a Kaiba."

"It's absolutely fine." Zahira whispered back with a gentle smile on her lips. "I know that my brother has a reputation for being... Well, for being a bit of an arse to be honest."

Yugi chuckled slightly as she spoke, but Mr Brisbane's raised voice at the front of the classroom caught their attention for a few moments as he scolded a student for their lack of homework.

"I only wish that you judge me in a different light to my brother." Zahira whispered a few moments after Mr Brisbane's voice had quietened once again. "I hope you'll find that he and I are rather different in character."

Yugi nodded slightly, a nervous but honest smile blossoming on his lips as he agreed with her.

"I hope so too."

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><p><strong>Okay so obviously not the most exciting of chapters, but it is necessary at the start of the story to get some ground work in (in my opinion). ANYWAY! Zahira gets her first proper peek at Yami next chapter, so be ready for that :)<strong>

**I know I've only just started the story, but a follow/favourite would be greatly appreciated, as would a review :D**

**Thank you for reading!**

**-Shakalakaboomboom x**


	4. An Eight Year Puzzle

**'Ello! How are we? Zahira gets her first look at Yami now, and Grandpa has a deck inspection.**

**You ready?**

**Let's duel!**

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 4: An Eight Year Puzzle<strong>

Zahira had been attending Domino High School for a few weeks now, and - if she was to be completely honest - she was completely loving it. It wasn't only the fact that the was now learning in a class, and actual _class_, it was how Tea and Yugi had completely accepted who she was - warts and all (metaphorically speaking) - and had completely accepted her into their friendship. Of course, Zahira had friends in past lives, but even with the 5000 years of memories she had, the loneliness she had been feeling could not be battled.

So now she found herself walking through the streets of Domino city with Yugi, returning to his home for an afternoon of relaxation. The weekends still remained Zahira's favourite time of the week, but not because they were the two days her tutor didn't come. No, they were the days she could spend laughing and having fun with her new found friends.

"What do you want to do when we get to mine?" Yugi asked with a smile as he watched Zahira take in their surroundings, determine to remember the way to the Kame Game shop. "We can watch a movie, there's _always _some form of homework to do, chat, I could show you round Grandpa's shop...?"

Yugi trailed off as Zahira's eyes moved from the buildings around them and down to him. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from the physical effort of walking home, and her breathing was a shallow as usual, but her eyes held a glint on interest and happiness that had been missing when he first met her a month ago.

"I'd love to see the shop." Zahira replied enthusiastically, twisting her rucksack strap between her fingers. "It would be really interesting, to see a proper shop, I mean..."

"Proper shop?" Yugi asked, genuinely confused as to what Zahira meant.

"I'm so used to the mass production at Kaiba Corp." Zahira replied, her eyes flicking over to the Kaiba Corp. skyscraper that could be seen towering above the city a few miles away. "It's amazing being able to have such close ties with the company, but such a large scale completely removes any sense of personality within the business. It is not as personal as those who have small shops... Well, in my opinion anyway."

"No, I see where you're coming from." Yugi replied, kicking a loose stone with his shoe as they neared the shop. "My Grandpa is most definitely eccentric, but he cares for every single game he sells. Speaking of which, here we are!"

Zahira took her eyes off the Kaiba Corp. building in the distance to see that the two of them had arrived at a moderately sized building with 'KAME GAME' branded across the front. Yugi smiled and rushed forward to open the door as Zahira took in the shop completely, a small smiling beginning to form on her lips.

"Grandpa, I'm home!" Yugi called, holding the door for Zahira as she followed him into the store. A crash was heard from somewhere below them followed by a few wild curses in what Zahira recognised to be Ancient Greek. Yugi grimaced slightly at the noises as he rushed to the back of the shop, peering at the stairs behind the counter that descended down into the basement.

"Grandpa?" He called again, his voice now laced with worry. "Grandpa, are you alright down there?"

Zahira watched for a moment as a man in his sixties appeared from the stairs, rubbing the base of the back with a slightly pained look on his face as he smiled to Yugi.

"Never better!" He said happily, brushing off the dust that had somehow collected his dungarees. "You just startled me!"

"I'm sorry, Grandpa." Yugi said apologetically, before turning to look behind him and smile at Zahira. "Grandpa, I'd like you to meet Zahira. She joined school a month ago."

Zahira moved forward slightly as Yugi introduced, her bowing to Mr. Muto respectfully.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Moto." She said, smiling as the old man blushed slightly, raising his hands at the formalities.

"Please, please, none of that here!" He said, a kind laugh rippling through his chest. "To you, I am just 'Grandpa'. It is a pleasure to meet you too, Zahira. Yugi has told me much about you!"

Zahira raised a curious eyebrow and turned to look accusingly at Yugi. A slight blush crept across her friend's nose as he raised his hands defensively, laughing nervously.

"I-"

"Oh, he didn't tell me much!" Grandpa said, chuckling at his grandson's discomfort. "Only that you were an excellent historian and in the majority of his lessons!"

Zahira let out a small bark of laughter at the historian comment, humoured by the fact that they didn't realise that she'd been at nearly every single historical event that they had ever studied.

"It's quite alright Yugi, honestly." Zahira laughed, noticing that her friend had turned a darker shade, now bordering on crimson. "I'm flattered, really."

Yugi only laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. Zahira rolled her eyes before placing a hand on his shoulder as the colour slowly began to dissipate from his cheeks. A small glint caught her eye and she turned to look over in one of the cabinets that lined the walls of the shop. She released Yugi's shoulder and moved to inspect the cabinet, hoping beyond hope that she had seen what she thought she had seen.

"What is it, Zahira?" Yugi asked, moving to stand beside her to try and discern what she was staring at. Grandpa moved to stand with them also, curious as to what had caught Zahira's undivided attention.

"I don't believe it." Zahira whispered quietly, drawing her eyes away from the cabinet for a moment to glance at Yugi. "I've been searching for this card for four years now."

"Which one?" Yugi asked curiously, raising himself onto his toes to have a better view of the items within the cabinet.

"Master Hyperion." Zahira said, her voice filled with awe as her eyes raked over the card.

"You play Duel Monsters?" Yugi asked, surprised completely by this revelation. He knew that Zahira was a fan of games, but he never realised that she was a duelist.

Zahira simply nodded, shrugging the satchel off her shoulder as she reached inside and searched for a few moments before pulling out her deck. Yugi watched critically as she handled the deck with care and an obviously gentle hand. Zahira allowed her satchel to rest at her feet as she cautiously began to search through her deck, unawares of how closely she was being watched by both Mutos.

"Ah!" She said suddenly, removing a small handful of cards and holding them proudly in her hand. "These cards are the reason why I have been searching for Hyperion."

Yugi and Grandpa moved closer together to see that Zahira was in fact holding the six 'Agent' cards; the Agents of Mystery, Miracles, Judgement, Creation, Wisdom and Force. Master Hyperion was a card that could only be summoned by the banishment of one of the six Agents.

"These cards once belonged to my mother." Zahira said quietly, turning them away from Yugi and Grandpa so she too could look upon them. "These and a piece of jewellery are the only things that I have left of my mother."

"I'm sorry Zahira." Yugi said solemnly, sending a soft smile to his friend who returned one of her own.

"Don't apologize, Yugi." Zahira replied, a soft smile upon her lips as she thought over her memories of her current life. "It has been quite a few years since my brothers and I lost our parents. Together we have slowly come to terms with the pain and learned to deal with it."

"May I see your deck?" Grandpa asked quietly, trying his best not to interrupt Zahira and Yugi's conversation.

"Of course!" Zahira said, gently handing her deck over into Grandpa's waiting hands. She watched nervously as he began to meticulously search through her cards, examining each and every one of them. Grandpa was judging each card and its value within the deck. The first rule of Duel Monsters, and the first step to believing in the Heart of the Cards, was to have a harmonious deck. Without the fluidity and ease of monsters that worked well together, a duelist could never possibly reach their full potential.

"You focus on Light attribute Fairy monsters?" Grandpa asked, raising an eyebrow as he continued his inspection.

"Yes." Zahira replied, fiddling nervously with her skirt. "My deck began with the six Agent cards from my mother, and I chose cards that seemed to work best with them."

Grandpa remained quiet for a few moments as he glanced at the last few cards. He nodded slightly before handing the deck respectfully back to Zahira.

"You are correct." He said, debating inside himself over his next course of action. "There is a very strong, harmonious deck in there just waiting to blossom."

"Waiting?" Zahira asked with a confused expression on her face. She glanced down to see Yugi beside her smiling slightly. She raised a questioning eyebrow, but his only reply was to shrug and motion for her to remain silent, a knowing twinkle in his eye.

"Yes, there are a few more cards you need to make this deck perfect for you." Grandpa said as he moved over to the cabinet, gently removing the Master Hyperion card from its resting place. "Once you have them, then your deck will be a very powerful one."

Grandpa moved away from the cabinet with the card in his hand. He paused before Zahira, before extending his hand and offering her the card that lay within his fingertips.

"Hyperion..." Zahira whispered in awe, slowly removing the card from his hands. "How much do I owe you for this, Grandpa?"

"Oh, nothing." Grandpa replied, a broad smile forming on his face as he saw Zahira's elation. "You've built your deck with you heart. How could I not give you Hyperion? All that card has done is sat on the shelf, waiting for the right person to come on in."

Zahira barely heard Grandpa as she marvelled at the card now resting in her hands. She tilted it so that Yugi, who was still beside her, could read the information on the card as well. Without a second thought, Zahira threw herself at Grandpa, wrapping her arms around him in a strong, grateful hug. Yugi laughed to himself as he notice the small blush developing on his Grandpa's cheeks.

"Thank you so much, Grandpa." Zahira said excitedly as she pulled away from him, slowly slipping Master Hyperion into her deck. "This deck means so much to me."

"I can tell from the cards and the way you handle them that you do." Grandpa said, smiling once again before turning to Yugi. "Yugi, why don't you take Zahira upstairs and show her your 8 year puzzle."

Yugi quickly agreed to his grandpa's proposal, leading Zahira upstairs to where they lived above the shop. He sat her down in what Zahira assumed was the living room as Yugi disappeared off quickly into his bedroom to find this puzzle. After a few moments, he hastily returned carrying what looked to be a heavy golden box. When Yugi placed it on the table, Zahira's eyes widened slightly as some of the markings suddenly forced images from her nightmares to the forefront of her mind. A headache quickly blossomed behind her eyes as Yugi opened the box and turned it so Zahira could see all the golden pieces lying within.

Trying to ignore the sudden pain in her temple, Zahira realised that these golden pieces were the ones that she had seen Yugi with the day she met him at school. A small cluster of the pieces were sit together into what looked to be the corner of a pyramid resting in one corner of the box. An inscription in ancient Egyptian was inlaid across the inside of the lid. Zahira read the phrase quickly, her mind translated as she thought back to the number of lives she had researching ancient Egypt.

"This engraving here," Yugi began, pointing at the inscription, "means: 'the one wh-"

"The one who solves me shall gain the powers and knowledge of darkness." Zahira said suddenly interrupting Yugi.

"How did you know that?" Yugi asked, a shocked expression on his face. "I had to get my Grandpa to translate it for me."

"I've spent a lot of time studying ancient Egypt." Zahira said, not far from the truth. She turned to look at Yugi, before the pain in her head heightened once again and she began to massage her temples with her fingers to try and relieve the pain.

"Zahira?" Yugi asked, concern lacing his voice as he saw her pained expression. He moved away from the puzzle and laid a hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly to try and comfort her. "Zahira are you alright? You look really pale all of a sudden... Do you need some water?"

"Some water would be great, thanks Yugi." Zahira replied quietly, before muttering a small 'thank you' as he rushed from the room.

_Where have I seen this before? _Zahira thought to herself through the pain in her head. _I know that I've seen this somewhere in my past before... But __**where**__?_

Another image from her nightmares flashed through Zahira's mind once again, this time of a city burning to ruins. She grimace until the scene had passed, before opening her eyes and staring at the golden box resting on the table before her, the pieces within shimmering in the evening light. Why had this puzzle caused such intense pain to suddenly form? Why her? Of all people, why her?

Curiously, Zahira reached out and grasped a small golden piece within her fingers while her other hand continued to massage the side of her head. She twisted and twirled the piece between her finger, inspecting the shape and texture of he object. After a few final moments of analysing the piece, Zahira shrugged in defeat and moved to place it in the box once again.

However as she moved forward, searing hot pain rushed through her fingertips into her entire body, forcing her mind to see what her eyes could not.

_He was standing before her. His crimson eyes were shining with strength and curiosity as his tri coloured her moved gently in the unfelt breeze, the blonde streaks accentuating the unusual shape. His lips were lifted into a small smile as his arms were crossed casually in front of him. The room around them was made of what looked to be a sandstone, but it was difficult to tell. Various staircases and doors surrounded them in what appeared to be this never ending room. She shifted frantically, searching desperately for a way to escape, all while the crimson eyes simply watched her._

With a small cry, Zahira forced her fingers to release the piece of gold that she had been clutching to for dear life in her hands. She fell backward as if she had been physically struck, putting distance between herself and the falsely harmless golden box.

It was him. The man from her dreams. The one who haunted her every time she closed her eyes.

The man she could not remember. The man she swore never to forget.

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><p><strong>I originally wrote this chapter with Zahira's deck being based on ice barrier monsters, but I've read a lot of stories with OCs that have ice barrier decks, and I decided that I personally prefer the Lost Sanctuary structure deck (Zahira's new deck) :)<strong>

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this!**

**Please follow/favourite/review, I would greatly appreciate it!**

**-Shakalakaboomboom x**


	5. The Puzzle and the Wings

**IMPORTANT: Please be aware that I know practically nothing of YuGiOh season 0 as I've only watched the English dubbed anime. I don't want to spend too much longer on pre-duelist kingdom as I want to get ahead into developing the true nature of Zahira's character :)  
><strong>

**Please enjoy, review, follow and favourite!**

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><p><strong><span>The Puzzle and the Wings<span>**

_Tremors rippled through the palace as a wall was blown in by an explosion. A single young woman lay amongst the rubble, pushing herself forcefully to her feet as blood slicked across her tarnished, tanned skin. As the dust slowly settled, she glanced around herself to see the destruction that lay around her. There was evidence of a few broken bodies scattered amongst the rubble that now blocked the corridor. Shouts and cries could be heard from the other side of the wreckage as people took in the damage from their perspective. _

_The woman forced herself through the rubble and towards the mass of rock, wincing as she put weight on a badly bruised leg. She climbed over the destruction, ignoring the dust that had settled in her platinum blonde hair so the ice blue streaks were barely visible. Once she reached the wall of rock, she began to frantically pull bricks and stones away, trying to find a way through the wall._

_"Pharaoh!" She screamed desperately, hopelessly aware that her king could easily be badly injured on the other side of the wreckage. "Pharaoh can you hear me?"_

_No reply came as the young woman continued to pull stones away, oblivious to the sounds of the battle that raged on around the palace. A small glow began to burn against her chest, causing the woman to gasp in pain as her hand went to cover the mark of the eye of Wdjat that rested over her heart. She looked down to see two of the circles that surrounded to Eye burn brightly and then vanish, signifying that two of fellow guardians had fallen. Now only a single circle could be seen surrounding the eye, signifying that she was now the only guardian that remained; of the original 8 __guardians of the Pharaoh, she was the only one left alive. What made matters even worse, was the fact that she was now separated from him by an impenetrable wall of rubble._

_"Oh no... Omari and Naunet..." The woman whispered desperately as her eyes stung with tears. Her fist clenched for a moment as she sent a silent prayer for her fallen comrades, before she raised her head once again and began to dig desperately at the wall. "Pharaoh please answer me!"_

_"Zahra!" A muffled shout came from the other side as the woman clawed at the rock. "Zahra are you alright?"_

_"Pharaoh!" The woman cried in relief, pushing herself against the stone so to hear the voice of her king as best she could. "I am well. What of yourself?"_

_"I am fine. Ho-"_

_"You should be worrying about yourself more than your worry for him right now." A dark voice rippled through the corridor, interrupting the Pharaoh's question._

_The woman spun away from the wall quickly, drawing her sword sharply from the sheath that rested at her hip. She raised the weapon into a defensive position as she watched a single figure approach her slowly down the corridor. His white hair was blowing around him in the strong wind of the night, the moonlight reflecting off the pale scar that stretched down his face from his right eye._

_"You." The woman spat, hatred filling her eyes as her anger sparked flames to ripple up and down the blade. Her strong emotions had awoken the magic within her. "I should kill you here and now."_

_"I should like to see you try!" The man taunted, a manic laugh rippling from his throat._

_The woman's eyes narrowed dangerously as she slowly began to step down from the rubble, unaware of the Pharaoh calling her name from the other side of the wreckage. As her sandal-clad foot touched the solid flooring once again, a flash of gold sparked from the man's wrist. A moment later, a pair of green, malicious eyes appeared behind him._

_"Diabound." The man commanded harshly, his eyes glistening with darkness. "Destroy her."_

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><p>With a painful gasp, Zahira pulled herself from her nightmare and a flash of burning light filled her mind. She sat up in bed, her chest constricting painfully as the blood rushed to her head. She push the covers back shakily and clambered from the bed, stumbling in the direction of her bathroom.<p>

She hastily flicked the light switch as she moved over to the sink, grimacing as she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her skin was white and pasty, while dark circles had formed underneath her bloodshot eyes. Leaning against the sink, Zahira turned the cold tap on to full power as the images from the nightmare gradually began to recede from her mind. Since touching the single piece of Yugi's Millenium Puzzle two days prior, Zahira's dreams had been plagued by great battles and pure darkness. As with every dream however, she quickly forgot them. Even as she was standing over the sink, memories of the nightmare she had just endured were slowly slipping from her mind.

Zahira cupped her hands under the cold water and slowly began to splash her face with the cool liquid, removing the sweat that glistened on her forehead. She thought back to Friday night, when Yugi had explained to her about his Millenium Puzzle and how it had taken him eight years to complete as much as he had: roughly half of the puzzle was complete. Intrigued, Zahira had insisted that she helped Yugi complete the puzzle, so the two of them had spent the rest of the evening slaving over the puzzle with a movie playing in the background. Yugi had revealed to Zahira how a two of the pieces in the puzzle confused him; there were two identical pieces within the golden box, and each had the eye of Wdjat (as Grandpa had called it) engraved on them. Each one of them was the same size and the same shape, and the etchings in the gold were identical also.

Sighing, Zahira grabbed a towel from the radiator and began to wipe the water from her face as she exited the bathroom. She moved steadily over to her bed once again, sitting gently on the mattress as she reached down and opened the bottom draw of her bedside table. There, resting in a small mahogany box, was the necklace left to Zahira by her mother.

Reaching down, Zahira removed the box and set it gently on her lap. Placing the towel down on the bed beside her, Zahira lifted the lid of the box to reveal the necklace that was kept within.

The necklace was made of gold and appeared to be two wings spread wide into a maximum wingspan, the detail of each individual feather carved delicately into the metal. When worn, the necklace lay just below Zahira's collarbones which the wings also ran parallel to. Where the wings met was a deep hollow, shaped suspiciously like the two pieces of Yugi's puzzle the were marked with the eye of Wdjat. Zahira had implored Yugi to bring the puzzle with him to school on Monday morning so she could bring her necklace and see whether the pieces truly fit, or whether she had been mistaken.

Glancing at the clock, Zahira read that is was 5:07am. She sighed heavily before closing the lid of the mahogany box and resting it on the bed beside her. Her chest tightened slightly, so Zahira grabbed her inhaler from the bedside table and drew in two deep breaths from it before she stood once again. She had two hours before she had to get ready for school. What was the point in her going back to sleep when her nightmares would only haunt her again?

Slowly, Zahira padded over the the bathroom and turned the shower on, setting it to a high temperature so the room began to fill with steam. She slipped from her pyjamas and climbed into the cubicle, praying that Yugi would not forget to bring his puzzle to school.

* * *

><p>Zahira began to gently open the door to her form room, her eyes scanning the faces within to see whether Yugi had arrived before she had.<p>

"'Scuse me." A boy with honey blonde hair said as he tried to squeeze past Zahira and out of the room. Zahira pushed herself against the doorframe to make room for him and another boy with dark hair who was following close behind.

"Thanks, Rich Kid." The blonde said as he passed her, earning himself a burning glare. "Come on Tristan."

"I'm right behind ya, Joey." The brunette - Tristan - grumbled, winking to Zahira as he passed her. "Quit your whining."

Zahira scowled darkly at the two boys as they sauntered off down the corridor, their confident strides portraying that they were proud of themselves over something.

"Jerks." Zahira grumbled as she turned her back on them and continued on into the classroom. She spotted Yugi and Tea leaning out of the window at the back of the classroom, with Yugi's puzzle box open and seemingly abandoned on their desks.

"Hey guys." Zahira said as she reached her friends, placing her satchel on the table next to Tea's. "What's up?"

Tea turned from the window to greet Zahira, a pained expression on her face as she kept a comforting hand on Yugi's shoulder.

"Joey just threw a piece of Yugi's puzzle into the canal." Tea said sadly. "Now Yugi'll never complete the puzzle!"

Zahira's eyes widened in shock as Yugi turned from the window, a defeated expression on his face.

"What's done is done." Yugi said quietly, his eyes downcast as he gathered the remaining pieces of the puzzle and returned them to the golden box. "There's nothing I can do now. Maybe it's fate telling me that the puzzle won't ever be completed and I should just give up altogether."

"No, Yugi!" Zahira cried sadly, putting her hands on his as he shut the lid of the box. "Don't ever think like that! We'll get that piece of the puzzle back somehow. I'm sure I could employ a specialist to search the canal or something..."

"I wouldn't want you to waste money on me, Zahira." Yugi said, his eyes remaining downcast. "It's only trivial in the scheme of things."

"No it damn well isn't!" Zahira said forcefully, although her voice remained quietly gentle. She moved her fingers around Yugi's to the edge of the box and began to pry the lid open once again, revealing the large section of completed puzzle within. She carefully picked it up and placed it in Yugi's empty hands, holding it firmly in place with her own. "You've spent eight years of the you life working on the puzzle, so you can't even think of labelling it as trivial. I've seem the notes you've made on all of this, we'll get that piece back and you'll completely the puzzle like you're supposed to! It's too important to cast aside."

Yugi sighed quietly, looking up at his new friend. As always, the oxygen tubing rested across her cheekbones and twisted round to the back of her neck. But Yugi was not looking at that; he never looked at that. He looked at Zahira herself, the person beneath the disability. Her sapphire eyes were bright and burning with a fiery passion. She held his gaze strongly, imploring him not to give up. She was right, he'd worked too hard and spent too many long hours on the puzzle to fall at one of the final hurdles.

"You're right." He said, his eyes hardening with renewed strength as he nodded briskly. "We'll get the piece back somehow."

Zahira smiled, relieved that Yugi had agreed so readily to her pleas. What infuriated her was the fact that Joey - who was probably supported by Tristan - had gone and thrown the piece into the canal into the first place!

"Those complete and utter jerks." She grumbled disdainfully, balling her hands into fists. "Why it ought to-"

"No, Zahira." Yugi said, placing a hand on her arm. "Joey was only trying to help me in an indirect way. Just leave him and Tristan be."

"But Yug-"

"But nothing." Yugi interrupted "I don't want you to do anything you may regret in the future for me. Besides, did you bring the necklace you told me about on Friday night?"

Zahira argued within herself for a moment over whether to ignore Yugi's words and chase Joey and Tristan down the corridor to knock some sense into them. She hated bullies. She _really _hated them. Nobody ever deserved to be treated badly, regardless of the motives or intentions of those carrying out the act. It was fundamentally and morally wrong.

_They'll get their comeuppance eventually _Zahira said to herself, the thought giving her a small amount of satisfaction.

After a final pause, Zahira nodded to Yugi and reached for her satchel, opening it to remove the mahogany box from with. She rested it on the table beside Yugi's golden box and opened the lid to reveal the winged necklace within.

"That's beautiful." Tea whispered quietly as she glanced over Zahira's shoulder at the wings. "I've never seen anything like it before."

"It belong to my mother." Zahira said, trailing her fingers over the feathered tip of one of the golden wings.

Yugi opened his own box and searched for a moment, before removing the two identical golden pieces that each had the Eye of Wdjat engraved on them.

"Here we are." He said, holding the two pieces next to Zahira's necklace. "You're right Zahira, it looks like one of them may actually belong in your necklace."

Yugi reached forward and placed the piece that he was holding in his right hand into the centre of Zahira's necklace. It was indeed a perfect fit, but it was impossible to tell whether that was the one of the two pieces that truly belonged between the wings.

"How do we know if it's right?" Tea asked curiously, her eyes shifting from Yugi to Zahira.

"I can only think of one way to find out." Zahira replied, hesitantly, before reaching out and lifting the wings from the box. She turned them over in her hand and the piece immediately fell from its resting place into Zahira's waiting hand below.

"That didn't work." Yugi said, taking the piece from Zahira and handing her the second one. "Try this one."

Zahira gratefully accepted the second piece from Yugi, before placing it between the wings exactly as the first one had been moments before. As the gold settled into place, a bright lightly seemed to ripple around the edge of the piece effectively sealing it within the wings. Zahira, Yugi and Tea all gasped as the light rippled over the entire surface of the wings before it slowly faded once again.

"I guess that's the one." Yugi said after all three of them remained silent for a moment, a heavy sigh escaping him as the tension of the moment lessened.

"I guess you're right." Zahira replied quietly, her eyes never leaving the wings. She began to turn the piece of jewellery over in her hands, marvelling at how a single flash of light had effectively sealed the piece between the wings. She held the necklace up to eye levelling, inspecting how the Eye of Wdjat now appeared to rest between where the bases of the two wings met.

"One question remains now." Tea said, her brows furrowed as she bit her lip in thought. "What was a piece of Zahira's necklace doing with the pieces of Yugi's puzzle?"

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><p><strong>Tada! And here we introduce the 8th millenium item! I tried to think of something original, as many stories I've read seem to have a 'Millenium Bracelet' or a 'Millenium Pendant' etc etc, so I give you the Millenium Wings!<strong>

**I must apologize for the delay in updates. I had two weeks of work experience and then we went on holiday so I didn't get a chance to write as I was too tired/didn't have access to a computer. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**-Shakalakaboomboom x**


	6. To Beat a Bully

**Hello hello! Thank you to everyone who's followed/favourited :3 I really appreciate it.**

**Also, I forgot to mention last chapter that I've changed Zahira's deck from Ice Barrier to Lost Sanctuary... After some thought and Aqua girl 007's advice, I decided to change because I think the Lost Sanctuary deck suits Zahira better and it will be easier for me to write duels with those cards as they mean more to mean than the ice barrier deck does :)**

**Just a warning, there is a small amount of swearing in this chapter. You'll soon find out why!**

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 7: To Beat a Bully<span>**

Yugi and Zahira were walking down the street away from Domino High School, their bags slung casually over their shoulders. It was Tuesday afternoon and the two had planned to study for a Further Maths test they had the following day. Zahira had spent the majority of the day grumbling about how much she hated their current Mechanics module, and Yugi had offered to help her as much as she could in the evening.

"What does Mechanics have to do with Maths anyway?" Zahira complained bitterly. "I mean, all this stuff about acceleration and force, you'd think we'd be studying for an engineering qualification."

Yugi chuckled quietly as he listened to Zahira's unrelenting list of reasons as to why Mechanics shouldn't be studied in maths. It made him smile how the shy girl he had met a few weeks ago was gradually coming out of her shell and being more and more relaxed around him, like any true friend would be.

"I told Grandpa about your necklace last night." Yugi said suddenly, trying to distract Zahira from her maths woes. "He wasn't really surprised when I told him that a piece from my Puzzle box belonged with your necklace."

"Oh really?" Zahira said, raising an eyebrow in surprise as she looked at Yugi. "Why was that? What did he say?"

"Oh he didn't know very much..." Yugi said with a slightly shrug, gently kicking a stone that rested on the pavement and sending it bouncing ahead of them. "He said that my puzzle and your necklace are what's called Millenium Items. Not very much is known about them, except that they're originally from Egypt."

Zahira's brows furrowed slightly at this. Was her necklace truly from Egypt? And if so how did her mother come by it? And was it a coincidence that she believed that she herself was originally from Egypt.

"So what do we call our items then?" Zahira asked, reaching gently up with a hand to reveal the winged necklace that she wore beneath her pink blazer. "I supposed that yours is something like the Millenium Pyramid."

"Close," Yugi said with a small laugh, "it's the Millenium Puzzle according to Grandpa."

"Oops." Zahira murmured, slightly embarrassed at her obvious mistake. "What did he say my necklace was called?"

"He said that my description sounded like it's the Millenium Wings." Yugi said, looking up to where Zahira had the corner of the Wings clasped between her fingers. "He doesn't really know very much about any of the items... Nobody does. They're a mystery."

"A mystery indeed." Zahira whispered quietly to herself. _Perhaps as much of a mystery to the world as my past is to me.__  
><em>

A pained cry suddenly caught Yugi and Zahira's attention as the pair walked passed an alleyway that branched off the street.

"Did you hear that?" Zahira asked, frozen in shock as her eyes searched the alley frantically for the person to whom the voice belonged.

"I did." Yugi breathed nervously. He took a few hesitant steps forward into the alleyway, listening carefully. After another moment of silence, a second cry was heard. "Someone must be hurt down there!"

Without a second thought, Yugi took off running down the alleyway in search of the own of the pained cry. Zahira followed him, running at a much slower speed as the increased pace put strain on her weak body. She watched as Yugi rounded the corner at the end of the alleyway, pushing herself as fast as she could so she could round the corner also and see where her friend had gone.

When she eventually made it around the corner, Zahira was startled to see Yugi jumping in front of two bruised and bloodied people on the ground with his arms spread wide as if to protect them. A huge, bulking teen who Zahira recognised as Ushio the school bully was towering over Yugi, his blood stained fists clenched and raised to attack.

"I won't let you hurt my friends!" He shouted defiantly at Ushio standing before him. Zahira cried out in shock as Ushio continued with his attack and punched Yugi square across the jaw, sending him sprawling across the ground with a painful cry.

"Leave them alone!" Zahira screamed as she ran towards the Ushio. He turned at the sound of her voice and raised his fists to her. Zahira did not back down. She pushed her body as hard as it could to close the distance between them. Ushio swung with his fist in an attempt to strike Zahira across the face, but the blonde haired girl ducked and used her momentum to rugby tackle Ushio to the ground. In hindsight, Zahira never really understood how a weak person such as herself had been able to bring down such a huge individual, but now was not the time to think; now was the time to act.

Zahira couldn't really control her limbs as she and Ushio went crashing to the ground together. At some point during her fall, Zahira felt her elbow collide harshly with Ushio's face, the impact causing the bone of his nose to give way beneath her. The sickening _crack _that filled the air was quickly followed by a strangled wail from Ushio as blood began to pour down his face.

When the two of them finally rolled to a stop, Zahira's quickly tried to push herself off Ushio's large body. As she clambered to her feet however, Ushio tried to claw at her face and his fingers got caught in the oxygen tubing that rested on her cheek. He pulled sharply on it as Zahira stood, effectively ripping the plastic forcefully from her nose and causing it to cut painfully into the inside of Zahira's nostrils. Crying out, Zahira pulled back as hard as she could so Ushio was forced to let go of the tubing, enabling her to stand steady on her feet once again.

Ushio, however, fell back against the tarmac and rolled onto his side to cover his broken and bloody nose with both hands.

"You hateful _bitch_!" He bellowed in fury, pushing himself onto his knees while Zahira stood tall over him. "Do have any idea what you've done?"

"I do believe I have." Zahira said sharply through short and painful breaths. The intense physical activity had caused her chest to tighten painfully and her muscles felt like jelly beneath her skin. "You're nose is most likely broken, so stop mourning over the fact. You deserve a lot worse than that for what you've done here."

"What I've done?" Ushio sputter incredulously, rising from the ground in anger as fury burned in his voice. "What I do is none of your business! You and the half-pint shouldn't stick your noses in where you're not welcome!"

"It's always my business when my friends our involved!" Zahira roared in reply, her eyes flashing dangerously. "You have no right to go around beating people senseless as you see fit! Inflicting pain on others in wrong in all accounts and is a truly disgusting act. You are a _disgrace _for thinking it acceptable."

Ushio bellowed in fury and launched himself at Zahira once again, but the girl stood her ground and kept her arms folded across her chest with the scowl that was so typical of her brother adorning her face also.

"Go on, strike me again." Zahira challenged just before Ushio's fist went to collide with her face. She gesture to the three boys on the ground behind her. "Strike any one of us. I _dare _you."

Ushio paused his assault for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing slightly at Zahira's tone of voice. The girl remained stoic still, her laboured breathing and the broken oxygen tubing the only evidence of her brawl with the teen.

"Go on." Zahira urged again, stepping forward towards Ushio threateningly, the dangerous glint still burning in her eyes. "Strike me. Strike me again, and I'll have the weight of an entire international corporation come crashing down on you like a tonne of bricks. I can use all of the professionals and resources that are available at my fingertips to get you the punishment you deserve. In the end, you wouldn't even be able to leave your house without someone breathing down your neck and watching your every move to make sure that no other innocent people fall victim to your beatings."

Ushio hesitated, unsure of his next action. His fist wavered in the air above Zahira's face, poised for attack yet never striking.

"So what's it going to be?" Zahira whispered darkly, stepping forward once again right into Ushio's personal space. She raised herself up as high as she could to stare right into the dark pits of Ushio's eyes. "Strike me again, and I'll prove to you that the threats I make are well and truly real."

Ushio sighed heavily, his eyes darting about from one side of the alleyway to the other; from the boys who were sprawled across the ground, to the small, weak Kaiba girl who had him pinned into an inescapable position. Without a moment's hesitation, Ushio turned and fled from the alley to get away from the scene as fast as his legs would carry him, curse after curse flying from his mouth as he dirtied Zahira Kaiba's name.

"If you dare lay a hand on anyone, and I mean _anyone_, ever again," Zahira shouted after the retreating figure, "then I promise you that I'll make good on all the threats I've made."

Ushio disappeared around the corner of the alleyway as Zahira's voice fell silent, a slight echo ricocheting around the small area. With a painful sigh, Zahira sank to her knees in exhausting, now fully aware of how much her muscles ached.

"Zahira!" Yugi cried in worry, pushing himself from the ground and limping the few paces to his friend. He put a hand on her shoulder and crouched down beside her in comfort. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Yugi." Zahira said with a smile, turning to look up at her friend. A large welt had formed across his cheekbone and was already getting a black and blue colouring. In the centre of the welt, a small puncture wound had been made so blood had steadily made a small stream down's Yugi's face.

"You're hurt!" Zahira exclaimed, placing a gentle hand across Yugi's injured cheek. She reached for the backpack that rested on her back and undid the zips, revealing the small oxygen tank within. She began to dig through the bag around it, before triumphantly removing a first aid kit. In a moment, Zahira had removed an ice pack and broken the sack within to release the chemicals that would make the pack cold.

"Here." She said, handing it to Yugi.

"Thanks, Zahira." Yugi said gratefully, before glancing over at the two boys who were still laying on the ground a few metres away.

Shock filled Zahira slightly as she recognised them to be Joey and Tristan. The two boys were conscious but in obvious pain, with cuts and bruises covering any bare skin they had.

"That bastard..." Zahira muttered angrily. It did not matter to her that Joey had thrown a piece of Yugi's puzzle into the canal the day before. Joey and Tristan had been beaten up badly and needed the support of a friend right now.

Zahira gathered up her first aid kit in her arms and rose from the ground, moving over to Joey and Tristan. She put the kit on the ground before moving to grasp Joey's upper arm, supporting and moving him so his back rested against the wall of the surrounding building.

"What a' ya doin'?" Joey asked, his unusually quiet voice sounding thickened due to his swollen lip.

"What does it look like I'm doing." Zahira replied as she help Tristan to lean against the wall also. "I'm helping you. I can't just leave the two of you bleeding in the middle of an alleyway, that would be wrong."

Joey began to mutter a half-hearted protest, but Zahira shushed him as she began to clean the cuts and scrapes on Tristan's face with sterile wipes. Yugi took some wipes too and began to clean up Joey's face with one hand while holding the ice pack in place with the other.

"Why are you doin' this, Yugi?" Joey asked a few minutes later as Yugi and Zahira began to apply cream to the cuts that the two boys had obtained. "Tristan and I have acted like complete jerks yet you're here pulling us out of trouble. I mean, you stood in front of us and let Ushio get you across face for God's sake!"

"You haven't been a jerk, Joey." Yugi said with a sad smile, avoiding Joey's questioning gaze as he continued to clean his wounds. "As you said yesterday, you've been trying to help make me a man. Yes, some of your methods may be a bit unorthodox, but it's the thought that counts and because of that I consider you a friend."

Zahira raised a slight eyebrow as she listened to Yugi talk quietly with Joey. Even after everything these two boys had done, Yugi was so quick to forgive and forget. Tristan lowered his eyes shamefully as Zahira cleaned him up, hesitant to say anything either through shame or embarrassment. Joey simply stared at Yugi's with his mouth agape at the boy's explanation behind his actions.

After a few more minutes, Yugi and Zahira had finished with the first aid kit and were slowly packing it into Zahira's backpack once again. Zahira had removed the broken oxygen tubing that had been dangling uselessly around her neck while Yugi cleaned the small bit of blood from her nose from where the tubing and pierce the skin. Joey and Tristan pushed themselves up off the wall and waiting until Yugi and Zahira had finished with the kit before they spoke.

"Listen Yug'..." Joey said hesitantly as Tristan placed a hand on his shoulder in encouragement. "I've been such a jerk to you."

"We both have." Tristan interrupted raising his downcast eyes to meet Zahira and Yugi's. "And we didn't deserve your help just now, from either of you."

"So let us make it up to you." Joey said, his eyes hardening with renewed determination. "I'm humbled that you consider us friends after all we've done, so we're gonna go back to the canal right now and I'm gonna get that puzzle piece back for ya that I threw in there yesterday."

"Joey no you're hurt!" Yugi cried out in surprise, shaking his head furiously. "You don't have to get the piece back, I wouldn't expect you to!"

"But I have to." Joey replied instantly, crossing his arms defiantly across his chest. "I need to right the wrong that I've done."

"But Jo-" Yugi began before Joey interrupted him.

"No buts, Yug'." Joey said a broad smile spreading slowly across his face as his eyes brightened in excitement. "Besides, what are friends for?"

* * *

><p><strong>Wahey 2 days between updates! Don't know how long this is going to last, but I want to get to Duelist Kingdom as soon as I can so I'm trying to get all the 'boring' stuff out of the way.<strong>

**As I've said before, I know very little of YGO season 0 as I've only watched the English dubbed anime, so please allow me some creative licensing on how I've handled the Ushio situation. I believe that Yugi should have finished the puzzle by this point, but it doesn't fit with my story so I'm writing the events the way I want them to happen.**

**Please review! **

**-Shakalakaboomboom x**


	7. Whole Once Again

**Chapter 7: Whole Once Again**

As promised, Joey returned to the canal and dove straight into the murky, cold water. He searched for a good half an hour before the puzzle piece was found and returned to Yugi. That quickly became a turning point in Yugi's new friendship with the blonde haired boy, and over the next few months the two quickly developed a strong relationship; it was almost as if they were brothers.

A group of three had become a group of five as Joey and Tristan became friends with Tea and Zahira also. The five of them would do everything together; from hanging around at school, to weekly Friday night pizza-and-movie nights.

It was on one such night when the pizza was cold and the movie long finished that Yugi and Zahira decided to introduce Joey to the game of Duel Monsters. Tea hadn't been there that evening as she'd fallen ill at school during the day, and Tristan had left early due to him being grounded for failing his mid-term maths test.

"Think about what monster you're going to play, Joey." Zahira encouraged. She and Joey were sitting on opposite sides of the coffee table, cards clutched in each of their hands. Yugi was sitting beside Joey, peering over his shoulder and whispering words of advice into his ear. "It's your first move, so you can't attack me, but you want to put up either a solid offence or defence so when it comes to my turn you're less likely to lose life points."

Joey's brows furrowed in concentration as his fingers hovered over his cards, deciding which monster would be the best to choose.

"Which one, Yug'?" He whispered from the corner of his mouth to his friend sitting beside him. "Which would be best?"

"Zahira's given you the same advice I would give." Yugi replied, laughing as Joey's face fell. "But I would suggest either the far left card, or the one second in from the right."

"Hey!" Zahira protested, pointing accusingly at Yugi even though a teasing smile was creeping onto her lips. "You said you wouldn't play for him! I've lost to you enough as it is!"

"I'm only giving him advice!" Yugi said with a laugh, raising his hands in defeat. "I'll keep my lips sealed from now on!"

Zahira huffed in satisfaction as Joey pulled a card from his hand and laid a monster down on the field in attack position.

"Say hello to this baby!" He cried victoriously as he played the Darkfire Dragon (ATK1800/DEF1250). "Betcha wished you handn't given me that advice now, 'Hira!"

Zahira raised a curved eyebrow, firstly at the nickname Joey had adopted for her, and secondly as she studied Joey's card. She said nothing as her eyes flicked from the card to her hand and back to the card once again.

"It was a good move Joey, I'll give you that." Zahira said casually as she removed two cards from her hand. "But not good enough, I'm afraid."

Joey let out a cry of protest as Zahira placed her first card - a monster card - on the field in attack position.

"Firstly," She said as she moved her hand away to reveal the card, "I play my Jupiter, the Agent of Miracles (ATK1800/DEF1500)."

"But that prancing fairy monster has the same number of attack points as my dragon!" Joey said triumphantly. "You just wasted your move!"

"Who said my move was finished?" Zahira questioned, glancing up to see Joey's face drop as she placed her second card on the field. "I combine my Jupiter with the magical power of the Divine Amulet magic card! It gives Jupiter an extra 1000 attack points as it's the only light type monster on the field, which means it is more than powerful enough to wipe out your dragon."

Joey cried out in frustration at Zahira's move, throwing his cards down on the table in defeat.

"How the hell can I not even win a single attack against you, Zahria?" Joey asked forlornly as his eyes glared down at the cards on the table in front of him. "None of my monsters can stand up to your assaults."

"You need to remember the power of your magic cards, Joey." Yugi said, placing an encouraging hand on his friend's shoulder. "Zahira isn't the only one who can play them; anybody can! You'll get there eventually, you're already much improved from where we started."

"I agree with Yugi." Zahria said softly, reaching over to place her hand on Joey's. "You have improved a lot. Remember that I have been playing this game a lot longer than you, and that I've also had a lot more experience. My brother is the Duel Monsters world champion for goodness sake, and he always needs a guinea pig to duel against."

"You duel against your brother?" Yugi and Joey asked incredulously.

Zahira nodded her head in confirmation. "And I lose every single time."

"I find that hard to believe..." Joey muttered to himself. "Damn Rich Boy probably cheats or summin'."

"Joey..." Zahira warned, her voice adopted an annoyed tone as Joey was rude about her brother. "Seto may behave like a pompous git a lot of the time, but he is still my brother and we've always looked out for each other. So please; don't be rude."

"Yeah yeah," Joey said apologetically, aware that this was not the first time Zahira had asked him to not be rude, "I know 'Hira I'm sorry. My mouth just ran away with me."

"Whenever does it not?" Zahira whispered to Yugi, who chuckled lightly in response.

"I heard that!" Joey said angrily, causing Yugi and Zahira to laugh harder.

Their laughter, however, was interrupted by the doorbell going downstairs. The three teens listened for a moment as Grandpa answered the door, before he shouted up the stairs to them:

"Joey! You're father's here to take you home!"

Joey sighed and stood from the floor, moving across the room to grab his blazer and school bag.

"Why'd he have to come early today..." He grumbled as he put his deck in his bag. "I was just learning some stuff."

"We can keep going at school on Monday if you want, Joey." Yugi offered, Zahira nodding enthusiastically beside him.

"Gee thanks guys." Joey said before opening the living room door. "Thanks for havin' me Yug', I'll see the two of you on Monday morning."

"See you, Joey!" Yugi said as he and Zahira bid their friend goodbye and goodnight.

As the sound of the shop door closing beneath them rippled through the house, Zahira sighed and glanced up at the clock to see it read 9:54pm.

"I've got half an hour until Roland comes." She said, stretching as her muscles began to cramp slightly from sitting on the floor for too long. "What do you fancy doing?"

"I'm not sure..." Yugi said as he looked around the living room for a moment, thinking. Zahira rose from the floor and stretched again, before walking round to the open plan kitchen to put away the cold pizza and move the cardboard boxes into the rubbish bin.

"Why don't we keep going with my puzzle?" Yugi asked suddenly, pushing himself up off the floor excitedly. "I've nearly finished it! I'm sure we could probably get it done in less that half an hour if we work together."

Zahira closed the door to the fridge, sealing the uneaten pizza slices inside, before she turned to Yugi smiling and nodding.

"That sounds like a great idea!"

The two of them made their way down the hall to Yugi's room where they quickly settled down on the bed amongst Yugi's notes and the remaining puzzle pieces. The two Millenium Items had intrigued Yugi and Zahira beyond imagining, so much so that Zahira had taken to wearing her Wings under her uniform every day, while Yugi had spent every spare moment he had working on the puzzle.

As they sat together and the final few pieces of the Puzzle began to fall into place, Zahira slowly became aware of the cold weight of the Wings that were hidden underneath the hoodie and t-shirt she'd replaced her uniform with. Pausing for a moment, Zahira reached for the rope that held the Wings around her neck and pulled it so the Millenium Item rested above her clothing. Yugi glanced up from the puzzle pieces to watch Zahira twist and turn the gold of the Wings between her fingers.

"Do you really think our two Items are connected as Grandpa says they are?" Zahira whispered, pulling her eyes from the Wings to look up into Yugi's. "I mean, it seems so unlikely that these things would fall into our hands."

"I know what you mean..." Yugi said, before glancing down to the Puzzle again. There was only one piece the now remained to be put in place. "I've spent 8 years of my life working on this Puzzle, and here I am now about to put the last piece in."

Yugi lifted the Puzzle and the piece off the bed as he stood up and moved to the centre on the room. Zahira followed him curiously as he stood underneath the single solitary light. The bulb cast a warm glow across the gold of the Puzzle, causing the metal to shimmer brightly.

"Are you ready?" Yugi asked, looking up to see Zahira watching him expectantly.

"Are you?" Zahira countered, placing a soft hand on Yugi's arm. The boy glanced down at the contact for a moment, before his eyes returned to Zahira's and hardened with determination as he nodded.

"I am." He said, raising the final piece to place it in it's slot. "Well, here goes nothing."

The golden piece slipped into place and silence filled the room as nothing appeared to happen. After a moment however, a golden light rippled across the surface of the Puzzle and the Eye of Wdjat began to glow brightly in the centre.

Together, Yugi and Zahira gasped as the Puzzle shone brightly, but Zahira's attention was quickly drawn from the Puzzle to the Millenium Item that was hanging from her own neck. As with the Puzzle, the Eye of Wdjat in the centre of the Wings began to burn brightly, casting a golden light across the room. Zahira reached up to grasp each side of the Wings, only to cry out in pain as her fingers made contact with the metal.

Yugi turned from his Puzzle at the sound of Zahira's cry to see his friend's face contorted in pain as her hands held tightly onto the Millenium Wings. A golden eye slowly began to materialise on Zahira's forehead as her cries of pain began to increase; it shone just as brightly as the two Millenium Items the pair of them were holding.

Zahira felt as if a red hot branding iron had been forced between her eyes and was begin twisted harshly. Tears came to her eyes as the pain increased further and violent shivers began to wrack her body. However much she willed for her hands to move, they would not release the Wings that she held onto so strongly. They light from the item only continued to increase further and further. As the light reached a point where it was completely blinding, Zahira's pain increased tenfold and the girl's mind snapped, sending her consciousness spiraling down into the waiting arms of darkness.

Yugi was having difficulties with his own Millenium Item, enough so that he did not notice his friend falling to the floor unconscious. He felt as if his very being was being pulled from his body and forced into the confines of the Millenium Puzzle. He fought against the pull with all of his might, and looked around through tear-filled eyes to see his room grow darker and darker. Creatures slowly began to emerge from the shadows that were surrounding him as the familiar features of his bedroom slowly faded away.

A hideous insect-like creature with yellow fangs launched itself at Yugi, and the boy jumped back with a shout to avoid its attack.

"Ahh!" Yugi cried as he retreated. "Stay back! Whatever you are, just stay back."

Yugi watched as the creature moved to strike him again, but the Puzzle gave an almighty pull and before Yugi knew it, he felt as if he was falling from his body and down into the depths of an endless, sandstone maze...

* * *

><p>The light from the puzzle slowly began to die down as the young man gently placed the item around his neck. His sharp, crimson eyes glance around at the shadow creatures that were quickly surrounding him and the prone form of a girl beside him. The Eye of Wdjat shone brightly on his forehead as he knelt to the ground and placed a gentle hand against the girl's neck and easily found a strong pulse, confirming that the girl lived. What concerned him however, was the fact that her skin was such a deathly white colour and pasty in complexion. A small feeling of recognition flickered through the young man's mind, but he pushed it aside as he stood protectively over her while the creatures converged on them.<p>

Calmly, the young man took hold on the Millenium Puzzle that rested around his neck and swept his arm towards the creature before him.

"Shadow creatures, begone!" He shouted, the deep baritone of his voice rippling with commanding power and magic. "I command you! Return to the dark realm from whence you came!"

A whirlwind of golden light erupted from around the man's feet as he wielded the power of the Millenium Puzzle. The shadow creatures screeched in pain as the golden rays forced them back to the dark depths of the Shadow Realm once again. The golden light grew and grew until the darkness that had blanketed the room was forced to retreat and return the surroundings to how they had originally been.

The young man looked carefully around himself, observing the Puzzle carry out his will. He glanced down one final time at the girl who lay unconscious at his feet, comfort filling him slightly with the knowledge that the creatures would not hurt her.

With a final flash of golden light from the Puzzle, the young man closed his eyes and allowed the darkness to pull his soul into it's welcoming embrace once again.

* * *

><p>Yugi opened his eyes to realise that he was standing in the middle of his bedroom as if nothing had happened at all. He glanced down and the complete Millenium Puzzle that - for some reason - was now resting around his neck. When did he put it on? Yugi couldn't remember. He traced his fingers over the item for a moment, before his attention was caught by something in the corner of his vision.<p>

Yugi whirled around quickly to see Zahira laying motionless on the floor, her eyes closed and her skin a pale, deathly white.

"Zahira!" Yugi cried in terror as he rushed over to his friend, falling to the ground beside her. He shook her shoulder gently to begin with, before he began to shake harder and harder as she didn't wake. "Zahira! Zahira, wake up please!"

After trying for a few more moments, Yugi placed his fingers to Zahira's neck to find that she had a strong pulse and was indeed alive. His had then moved to her cheek, where her skin felt ice cold and was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

"Grandpa!" Yugi cried helplessly, completely at lost with how to help his friend. "Grandpa, please help!"

Hearing the cries of his grandson, Solomon Mutou rushed up into the bedroom to see Yugi kneeling on the floor beside an unconscious Zahira. Yugi looked up through tear-filled eyes to see his Grandpa standing in the doorway.

"Grandpa!" Yugi cried in relief, although his voice was still filled with desperation. "Grandpa what do I do? She won't wake!"

"I'll call an ambulance." Grandpa said his mind reeling with all the problems Zahira's suffered from and what complications they could cause. He turned from the door to rush and find the nearest phone. He shouted over his shoulder to his grandson: "Keep her warm and make sure she's breathing!"

Yugi leapt up from the floor to grab the duvet that was resting on his bed. He dragged it onto the floor along with one of his pillows and carried them over the Zahira. He placed the pillow beneath her head and covered her body with the heavy feather duvet before he grasped one of her hands tightly between his own.

"Please be okay, Zahira." Yugi begged as he looked helplessly down at her, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "Please be okay."

* * *

><p><strong>Another chapter completed!<strong>

**Just to point out, I've take the part where Yugi completes the puzzle as the version shown at the beginning of YuGiOh: The Pyramid of Light. I hope this chapter made sense, as I'm really tired right now but wanted to get the chapter done.**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated!**

**-Shakalakaboomboom x**


	8. Two Halves Make a Whole

**Hey guys! Thank you so much to everyone who has followed and favourited so far! It makes me want to keep writing, especially with the reviews I've had too! _PharaohsLuver_, _LadyTallulah_ and _aqua girl 007_ I am so grateful to you three for reviewing :D thank you thank you thank you!**

**This chapter might be seen as a biggie, as it may help answer some questions you have from the events of the last chapter surrounding Zahira and her Millenium Wings.**

**Anywho, please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 8: Two Halves Make a Whole<span>**

Zahira groaned as she slowly came around, leaving behind the darkness that had gripped her dreams. Her eyes opened slowly to reveal that she was in fact lying on her own bed in the middle of her room at home.

Wait.

Was this her room?

Pushing herself up into a sitting position, Zahira's eyes narrowed suspiciously as she carefully examined her surroundings. Yes the space appeared to be just like her bedroom, but something wasn't right... Something was either out of place or missing.

Zahira swept her legs over the side of the bed and slowly pushed herself to her feet, grimacing slightly as her head began to pound painfully. She sat quietly for a moment with her eyes shut tightly, waiting for the discomfort to pass. With a heavy sigh, she pushed herself up off the bed and began to glance suspiciously around the room.

Slowly, Zahira began to walk across her bedroom looking over her possessions meticulously. From the colour of her curtains, to the position of her chest of drawers, Zahira looked. Finally, she came to a stop before the door that led to her en suite bathroom.

Well, it should have led to her en suite bathroom.

In place of the usual heavy oak door, there stood what appeared to be the entrance to a luxurious lift. Reaching out hesitantly, Zahira gently pushed the button on the doorframe to call for the lift, and with a soft ding, the doors rolled smoothly open. The interior of the lift was clean and plush, with a polished and varnish wood floor and ornamental mirrors on three sides.

Hesitantly, Zahira allowed her curiosity to get the better of her and her foot crossed the threshold of the lift. As she entered the lift fully, the doors soundlessly slid to a close behind her, sealing her inside. Glancing around, Zahira quickly found the wall panel for selecting floors. On further investigation, she found there to be righty six brass buttons representing a supposed eighty six floors. Currently, the lift was on floor eighty six.

How strange, Zahira thought to herself as her fingers slowly trailed over the smooth, cold metal of the buttons, it seems as if there is a floor for every life I have lived.

To prove her suspicions correct, Zahira pushed the button for the eighty fifth floor which caused the lift to slowly begin to lower. In a matter of moments, the lift came to a halt and the doors glided open.

Gasping in shock, Zahira took one step out of the lift to find herself standing in what was the bedroom that belonged to her previous self. She strode across the room and out of the door quickly and into the corridor beyond. The corridor seemed to stretch on and on and on for a great distance.

In a slight panic, Zahira began to rush from door to door, finding memory after memory of that one single life stored behind each one. After slamming the seventeenth door shut, Zahira rested her back against the rough wood and lowly slid to to floor, burying her hands in her hair as she sighed in frustration.

Where was she? Was she going mad?

"Looks like I'm not in Kansas anymore..." She grumbled to herself in frustration. One of the few things that had driven her mad for as long as she could remember was not understanding a situation in which she found herself. A situation such as this. She remained there, leaning helplessly against the wall, for quite some minutes as her mind went over her situation in her head, searching for answers.

Squaring her shoulders slightly, Zahira eventually clambered to her feet once again and slowly made her way back towards the elevator. She had finally come to the conclusion that if this place was some form of memory bank of all her lives - a place that stored all the memories she had long since forgotten - then would their be a floor that held the memories of her first life?

With a purposeful stride, Zahira made her way into the lift once again and stood before the panel within, her finger hovering over the button for the first floor. She had reasoned that if her current life was on the eighty sixth floor, then her first must be on the first floor.

Once again, the doors of the lift shut smoothly and Zahira felt a slight jolt as the mechanism activated and began to move downwards. It took much longer for the lift to come to a halt compared to the first journey, and Zahira was left waiting impatiently in the mirror-clad prison.

When the motion of the lift finally stopped and the doors dutifully opened, Zahira stepped nervously out into a hallway of brown sandstone. Pillars lined the walls, supporting the high ceilings of the luxuriously decorated hallway. Carvings and hieroglyphs we scattered across every inch of stone, depicting stories of love and battles and magic.

Zahira slowly began to make her way down the hall, her fingers trailing lightly over the stone as the marvelling at her surroundings. She began to read snippets of the stories legends that lined the stone wall as she walked, moving from tales of dragons and kings to magic and mischief.

"Fascinating, isn't it?"

A light, familiar voice rippled through the corridor, startling Zahira. She leapt away from the wall in fright and stared down the long hallway, searching for the speaker.

"Where are you?" She shouted, moving a few paces back. There was nobody but herself in the hallway, so where had the voice come from? "Show yourself! Why do you linger in the shadows where I can't see you?"

A gentle chuckled filled the hallway as Zahira searched frantically around her for the owner of the voice.

"I have lingered here in the shadows for many millennia now." The voice replied sadly, surprising Zahira with the gentleness of their words. "I have been patient in the never ending darkness, waiting for you to find me once again, my friend."

"Find you...?" Zahira asked, taking a hesitant step forward towards the voice. "What do you mean?"

"The door at the end of the hallway. It is there were you will find your answers..."

The voice slowly began to fade away, leaving a small echo of their last words ringing in the air. Without a moment's thought, Zahira took off down the hallway, following the remnants of the voice as it slowly faded to nothing.

"Wait!" She cried desperately, pushing herself harder as her feet flew across the stone floor. The carving on the stone walls were quickly forgotten as Zahira continued her fruitless pursuit along the corridor. All she could hear was the sound of her own breathing and the still wind of the hall rushing past her ears.

After what seemed like an eternity of running, the end of the hallway finally appeared. A single, ornate door was built in the centre of the sandstone, and the Eye of Wdjat was carved onto its plain surface.

Slowing to a walk, Zahira cautiously approached the solitary door. Her chest rose and fell quickly as she tried to regain her breath after the time she had spent running. The Millennium Wings that rested across her chest began to emit a slight golden glow as she edged closer and closer to the door. Hesitantly, Zahira clutched the Wings tightly, causing the light from the Eye in the centre of the golden pendant to glow furiously. In reply, the Eye of Wdjat that rested on the centre of the door began to glow as well.

Coming to a stop, Zahira stood before the door with one hand still clutching her Wings. She raised her other shaking hand and slowly reached out towards the door handle. She paused with her trembling fingers lingering over the handle, unsure whether to continue.

_If I want answers to my past then I have to open this door_, Zahira thought firmly to herself giving herself some metal encouragement, _I must be prepared to accept whatever I find here._

Breaking through her nerves, Zahira covered the distance with her hand and her fingers brushed gently over the handle. Immediately, a fierce light burst from the handle and the Eye of Wdjat on the door, throwing Zahira back quite a few metres where she landed hard on her back.

Groaning painfully, Zahira arched her back on the ground and twisted over on the hard stone floor to squint through her tear-filled eyes at the door.

The whole door was now consumed in the glow that centred around the Eye of Wdjat. The intensity grew and grew until in reached its maximum, at which point the handle began to turn. In a moment the door flew open and brilliant white light burst from within, filling the hallway and blinding Zahira. She raised a hand to cover her eyes and squinted through her eyelids to see a single, solitary figure approaching the door through the light. A cloak seemed to whip and snap around the person as they stepped over the threshold and into the light of the hallway.

Once the figure had passed through the door, the light quickly began to fade as the door swung gently shut. Zahira could not help her jaw falling agape as she gazed upon the figure standing before her.

There, standing tall and proud, was a young woman clad in a white linen dress with a sapphire blue cloak held tightly around her shoulders by a golden clasp that rested upon her neck. A simple golden chord pinched the dress in at the waist while a leather belt encrusted with sapphires held a sheath to her hip, the hilt of a sword resting across her abdomen. A simple golden band twisted ornately around her tanned arm and a plain gold circlet was placed on her rich blonde hair, accentuating the ice blue highlights that ran through her golden waves like water. An identical pair of the Millennium Wings rested on her chest, the eye of Wdjat shining brightly. Sapphire eyes watched Zahira as she laid on the floor, twinkling brightly in amusement.

"It is good to finally see you, my friend." The young woman said, a kind smile forming on her lips. "I have waited millennia for us to be reunited once again."

Terrified by the appearance of this woman, Zahira began to scramble back across the cold stone floor, her nails scraping across the surface as she tried to flee. She felt as if she were looking into a mirror; this woman - whoever she was - was a spitting image of Zahira herself, aside from the gentle tan of her sun kissed skin.

"Who are you?" Zahira cried out as she fled backwards. "Why do you look like me?"

A puzzled expression flashed across the woman's face as Zahira scrambled backwards across the stone. She stepped forward slightly, raising a gentle hand as if to reach for Zahira.

"You do not know who I am? What I am?" The young woman said, hurt and confusion filtering into her voice. "Do you not remember?"

"Remember what?" Zahira said desperately, gesturing to the hall around them. "If you have any answers to all of this then please enlighten me."

The young woman frowned and cast her eyes downward. Her brow creased as she fell into deep thought.

"Could the magic have had this effect?" She murmured to herself quietly. "Did he mean for this to happen?"

Zahira heard the soft words the young woman spoke. She quickly pushed herself from the ground and stood, walking purposefully towards the woman.

"What magic? What happened to me?" She questioned, coming to a stop before the woman. "Is that the reason why I have lived eight six lives in five thousand years upon this earth with no true understanding of who I really am?"

The young woman flinched slight at Zahira's sharp tone, her sapphire eyes watching her intently.

"Eighty six...?" She whispered in shock. Zahira only nodded in reply, not trusting her voice to speak for the moment.

"I never meant for this to happen..." The woman whispered sadly, running her fingers through her hair gently. Her eyes filled with pain and sorrow as she looked upon Zahira once again, before bowing her head shamefully.

"You never meant for what to happened?" Zahira questioned softly, reaching out hesitantly and placing a gentle hand on the young woman's arm. "What happened to me five thousand years ago?"

"What happened to us, you mean..." The woman said morosely, before raising her eyes to meet Zahira's. "What is your name, my friend?"

"Zahira." Zahira replied, her brows furrowed in slight confusion.

"Zahira? That is close enough." The woman said in reply, before her eyes hardened with determination. "My name is Zahra. You wish to know why our appearances are strikingly similar? Well, you and I are two sides of the same coin; two halves of one soul. Five thousand years ago, our soul was shattered defeating a great and terrible evil. One half - my half - was locked away within the Millennium Wings, while the other half - your half - has continued to exist for millennia."

Zahira staggered back as if the had been physically struck. She stared at Zahra is shock as the other young woman watched her sadly.

"What are you saying...?" She breathed, unsure whether to believe her or not.

"I am saying," Zahra said quietly, although her voice was filled with strength and determination, "that you and I are the same person, and with the return of the threat of the Shadow Games, we shall be whole once again."

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><p><strong>Okay I know this chapter took me ages to post, but my computer died and went to technology heaven so this has all been written on my iPhone (my poor thumbs!). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I've been looking forward to the ZahiraZahra bit since I started, but found it so hard to write! I hope if read okay!**

**Reviews make my day!**

**-Shakalakaboomboom**


	9. Stream of Memories

**Hey guys! Again, I'm sorry this has taken so long to upload! as I said last chapter, my computer has died and gone to heaven so now I'm having to write my chapters on my iPhone. I hope you enjoy this chapter; I found writing the interaction between Zahira and Zahra really difficult so I hope it maked sense!**

**Anyway, please enjoy the chapter :)**

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 9: Stream of Memories<span>**

**Seto Kaiba**

Seto sat quietly at the bedside, watching the steady rise and fall of his sisters chest. He had received a phone call late on Friday night from some boy who Zahira had spent the evening with saying that she had collapsed and wouldn't wake up. Roland had already been on his way to collect her, and found upon his arrival that the boy's grandfather had called an ambulance. Seto himself had run to the garage as fast as he could with Mokuba hot on his heels and sped on his way in the first car he found.

It had taken a lot of persuasion (arguments, more like) for the ambulance crew to finally agree to return Zahira to the penthouse where the three Kaibas lived at the top of the Kaiba Corp skyscraper. They didn't seem to understand that Zahira had fallen unconscious many times before, and that Seto had bought more than enough medical equipment to keep her out of a hospital.

Glancing at the bedside table, Seto read on the clock that it was 8:08am. Two minutes and he'd have to leave to go to that damned school Zahira had convinced him to enrole at. God he hated Monday mornings.

_"It would do you some good, Seto." Zahira laughed as she twirled around on the swivel chair across the desk from Seto._

_"And why do you think that?" He question monotonously, never lifting his eyes from the accounting report that had been placed in front of him a few minutes before hand._

_"You're always so dark and serious." Zahira replied nonchalantly, pausing the spin of her chair to look directly at Seto as her expression changed from bright and happy to hard and determined. "You spent too many years as Gozaboro's puppet, never getting any time to spend with other kids your age. You're still young enough to enrole in school, don't pass up the opportunity or you'll regret it in the long run."_

_Sighing in defeat, Seto cast aside the papers before him and looked up to see his younger sister watching him carefully. Her face was void of emotion but her eyes spoke a thousand words, imploring him to consider her request._

_"I'll think about it, Zahira."_

A small creak disturbed Seto from his reverie as the dark head belonging to Mokuba poked around the door and into Zahira's room.

"Seto?" He asked quietly, his voice quivering slightly. "There's some kids at reception that are asking about Zahira. I think they're the friends she was with before she collapsed; one of them said his name was Yugi."

"Send them away."

"But Seto-"

"I said send them away, Mokuba." Seto growled harshly. "They're not welcome here."

Mokuba looked down at his feet, biting nervously at his lip.

"They're worried about her, Seto." He continued hesitantly. "They just want to know if she's okay."

"They're the reason she collapsed in the first place!" Seto shouted, turning to see the shaking form of his brother. "Ever since she went to that school, she's spent more time with them and less time with us, coming home more tired each day. I knew this was going to happen... I knew it."

Mokuba watched as his brother turned his back on him once again and returned to staring into space, one hand resting over Zahira's. Mokuba hated the fact that she had to suffer from her condition. Each time she collapsed, Seto would become more enraged and more protective. The three of them were close as a family, but situations such as this always put strain on Seto.

"They've also made her happier." Mokuba murmured quietly as he slowly made his way out of the door. "She hasn't been this happy in years..."

Seto heard the latch of the door as it shut behind Mokuba. With a heavy sigh, his head fell into his hands while he thought over his brother's words. He hated to admit it, but Zahira was altogether a happier person since going to that school. What made Seto kick himself however, was the fact that other people had made her happy, while he himself had tried hard for years to try and relieve the unknown weight Zahira seemed to carry on her shoulders. Nothing meant more to Seto but family, although he would not readily admit it to the world, and now his efforts had been undermined by a few uniformed half wits in a matter of months. Seto's pride was sorely hurt and he'd be damned if he let them in to see Zahira now.

Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was time to leave. Seto squeezed Zahira's hand gently, before he stood and leaned over to place a soft kiss on her forehead. He turned and walked out of the bedroom, silently shutting the door behind him before turning to see Roland approaching down the corridor. The man stopped before Seto and bowed respectfully.

"Look after her while I'm gone."

With that, Seto turned on his heel and stormed away down the corridor, hoping that his day might improve.

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><p>"So where are we?"<p>

Zahira and Zahra sat next to each other on the floor of the hallway, their backs resting against the cold stone wall. Zahira had removed her dressing gown and folded it underneath the two of them as something more comfortable to sit on. Zahra's finger gently ran through the soft fabric as she closed her eyes and sighed contentedly.

"Zahra...?" Zahira asked, watching her curiously.

"Sorry." Zahra said quickly, opening her eyes and looking at Zahira, although her fingers continued to move through the fabric. "Being trapped in the Millennium Wings for 5000 years as naught but a spirit robbed me of everything you would do with a physical body: eating, sleeping, feeling..."

"I'm sorry..." Zahira said, her voice trailing off quietly. "I never realised-"

"Do not apologise." Zahra interrupted, shaking her head slightly. "It was not your fault. What is important now is that I am free once again so our soul may be whole."

"Excuse me?" Zahira asked, shocked. "What do you mean by that? You're not going to... Replace me - or something like that - are you?"

Zahra raised a curved everybrow before bursting into laughter, confusing Zahira further.

"How could I replace you?" She asked, chuckling slightly as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I am you, and you are me. No, everything will remain much the same, except that you will have my memories and abilities returned to you."

"What?" Zahira's eyes widened slightly at Zahra's words. "What do you mean by abilities?"

"You will find out in due time..." Zahra said softly, pushing herself up off the floor before beginning to pace slowly back and forth before Zahira. Her long skirt flowed around her legs as her sword swung at her hip; the Millennium Wings that rested around her neck glittered softly in the dim light. "You see Zahira, imagine that our broken soul is a wound. We can stitch the two pieces back together to hold them in place, but it takes much longer for them to truly knit together and be whole once again."

Zahra paused in her pacing and turned to look at Zahira. Her arms were gently crossed in front of her and one eyebrow was slightly raised.

"Can you see where I am coming from?"

"I think so..." Zahira replied standing also. "Are you saying that I won't get all your memories back straight away?"

"Exactly." Zahra said, smiling brightly before resuming her pacing. "My memories - our memories - will return to you slowly, like a small stream of water, gradually filling your mind with everything you learned and experienced in Egypt."

"I think I understand..." Zahira murmured, looking down at the Millennium Wings that rested on her own chest. "I can't regain all the memories at once; it would be too much for my mind to cope with."

"Precisely." Zahra confirmed, smiling and placing a hand on Zahira's shoulder. "But to answer your first question, this is our soul room. This is where all the memories you have gain over the last five thousand years have been stored, because your mind simply cannot retain the memories of 86 lifetimes."

"It's a little more than a room..." Zahira chuckled, glancing down the hallway towards where she knew the elevator was. "More like a tower."

"Yes, it's not typical of a normal soul room, but we are not typical of a normal soul." Zahra agreed. She glanced around herself for a moment before she strode away from Zahira and towards the plain door from which she had emerged. Hesitantly, she opened the door and glance inside, observing the large sandstone room that was beginning to form within. The walls were lined with doors and statues of Egyptian gods were scattered around in a decorative and orderly manner.

"It is time for us to return to reality." Zahra said quietly, closing the door once again and turning back to see Zahira standing a few paces behind her. "We cannot linger here anymore."

"Wait." Zahira said quickly as she realised what Zahra was saying. "I'm never going to be able to talk to you again, am I?"

"No," Zahra replied, shaking her head and smiling gently, "not unless you start talking to yourself."

Zahira frowned and cast her eyes downwards. She still had so many questions for Zahra, and she wasn't ready for her to go yet.

"I'm not going anywhere." Zahra chuckled, her eyes sparkling with mirth as Zahira stared at her in shock.

"How did you-?" Zahira asked, her mouth agape.

"You and I are one, Zahira." Zahra said, moving forward gently and placing a hand over Zahira's heart. "If I listen, then I can hear your thoughts."

Zahira stared wide-eyed at Zahra, unsure of what to say.

"But... But that's like magic." She stammered.

"Yes it is." Zahra nodded, the corners of her lips curling up into an amused smile. "Magic is very real, and can be a terrifying thought to those who don't believe in the arcane arts."

"Are you saying magic exists?" Zahira asked, not sure whether she could believe much more of what she was hearing.

Zahra simply nodded with a sly smile, before she turned away from Zahira and walked calmly over to the door. Hesitantly she raised her hand and gently trailed her fingers over the Eye of Wdjat, causing the symbol to light up with a soft golden glow.

"Yes..." Zahra murmured quietly to herself. "It is time."

Turning from the door, Zahra looked to Zahira who was watching her curiously.

"Are you ready?"

With a slight but determined nod, Zahira moved forwards to stand beside Zahra, the only contrast between them being their skin colour. The light from the eye of Wdjat gave Zahra's tanned skin a honey colour hue, while Zahira's pale skin glittered like the moon.

"I have one more question." Zahira said as she stood before the door with Zahra.

"Then ask." Zahra encouraged, glancing sideways at Zahira with a small smile.

"Why now?" Zahira asked simply, turning to look questioningly at Zahra. "Why have you only just been released from the Millennium Wings now when I completed them a few months ago?"

Zahra's brows furrowed slightly at the question, before the corners of he lips turned up in a knowing smile.

"The Wings are connected to the Puzzle." She said, casting her eyes downwards in thought. "My purpose - our purpose - five thousand years ago was to protect the bearer of the Puzzle. Now it is whole once again, we may finish what we started."

Raising her eyes from the ground, Zahra placed a hand on Zahira's shoulder and looked at her with complete seriousness in her eyes.

"I will give you one final piece of advice to remember as your memories and strengths slowly return to you." She said carefully, her tone calm and controlled. "Protect the bearer of the Millennium Puzzle; he is far more important to the world than he realises. Protect him, help him, keep him and the Puzzle safe."

"I will, I promise." Zahira promised, although confused by Zahra's words.

"Very well." Zahra nodded with satisfaction as she removed her hand from Zahira's shoulder. She moved forward and grasped the handle of the door between her fingers. "That is all I can ask. Are you ready to return to the real world together, as one?"

Zahira moved carefully forward, a slight smile curving her lips as her fingers hovered over Zahra's. She paused her hand in its descent before looking up at Zahra.

"Are you?" She questioned, watching as Zahra's eyes began to twinkle with excitement.

"Gods yes." Came Zahra's reply. Zahira required no more encouragement as she allowed her hand to lower onto Zahra's, the two girls twisting the handle and pulling the heavy wooden door open together. A bright white light burst from within, consuming Zahira and Zahra as they both cried out in suprised. The last think Zahira remember was being suddenly blinded and a painful, burning sensation on her chest as she once again fell into darkness.

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><p><strong>Wahey! Bye bye soul room, hello whole soul! <strong>

**next chaptet will be the first episode of the English dubbed anime, so I'm very excited about that :)**

**please review!**

**-Shakalakaboomboom **


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